I rarely wear red. There’s a photo of me in college in a red wool blazer, corduroy knee pants and, and a white swashbuckler shirt – standing on my grandmother’s porch steps when I was full of myself my freshman year of college. I ditched the read jacket – but stuck with the beige corduroy and white flowing shirts.
Red lipstick, though, always rubbed off with wear, leaving streaks in my imperfect lips – and I couldn’t stand that. I love lipstick, though – and I found my way to rich cashmere and an occasional bronze.
I’m a pink girl – except for my son’s occasional senior night for high school sporting events.
Red overwhelms me; it’s like living in the spotlight with all my glaring imperfections.
I avoid red – the confrontation it implies.
I see pink, like a mini-rage – like when I find Sadie, our lab puppy in the middle of myyarn, literally inside the skein
Or when a boy forgets his lunch after I remind him
Or when I’m behind a tractor at 7:30 in the morning for 15 minutes on the way to school
I see red over big things – things that threaten the hopes and dreams of me and mine – like dishonesty over placement in the classroom (really? Why would you take a straight A student in advanced classes and move him to a regular classroom?)
I see red over a teen who doesn’t want to get a job until the end of the summer
I see red over one brother taking advantage of another brother.
I’ve felt glare of my boy’s seeing red, speaking red– felt it spill all over me – until my heart bled. It’s not an easy thing being the mother of sons only. For some son’s, the first steps into independence and owning the title “man” – are painful – and they spill the red of their frustration over the one’s who love them unconditionally.
Sometimes people who belong to us due to proximity and path – they spill and hurl red all over us, too. What right do they have to red-up my life? But He gives them to us – just differently than through marriage vows and birthing. He gives them to us to love unconditionally, to forgive unconditionally – because through Him they all belong to us.
In all the spilling, and the seeing, and the avoiding of this red – which is really all that challenges us, hurts us, scares us – I find myself on my knees before my savior, so terribly glad of the red of his sacrifice that saves me, my husband, my sons – and those that God gives me – and washes us all clean of this red thrown, splattered and spilled.
Oh, the promise of that red sacrifice of love! Redeeming red with His blood. Thanks for sharing the nitty gritty and the eternal.
I don’t wear red either, but at my grandmother’s funeral I found out her favorite color was red, but she never wore it because she had been molested as a child and felt it would draw too much attention to herself. Now I accessorize with red and I was so happy at back to school night to see that my daughter had written that her favorite color is red. Thanks for your reflections. Five minute friday is always so much fun:)
really thoughtful post. i appreciated the challenge to remain on my knees…
blessings!
It’s funny, but I like to wear red. Maybe because of my dark hair color. But I am so thankful for the shed blood that cleansed our scarlet sins.
Blessings!
Oh, this is so poetic and true and beautiful in a raw and honest way. I am never disappointed when I stop by here. Your words move me, challenge me, and send me back to read them again. I’m gleaning wisdom on how to raise my boys each time I visit here. Happy Friday!
Enjoyed your poetic and honest words about “red”. Praise God, we are redeemed by Jesus shed blood. I’m visiting from the Weekend Brew.
Oh my, I have to say I enjoyed your thoughts on red. But red is my favorite color. Can you believe it? Who would have guessed?
So thankful for the red that was spilled for me and for you! Blessings!
I love all of your posts so much! I rarely wear red either though I LOVE the color in my house. Even now as I scan my room I see a beautiful glass red decorative bowl, a red sconce, a red berry wreath, some deep red candles, splashes of red in my favorite Paula D chair & ottoman, and a beautiful red journal. Yes, I’d say I love the splashes of warmth it brings to my home. My husband purchased me a BIG RED SUBURBAN and I would be more than happy to trade it in for a less “fire truck” looking vehicle.
Most of all — I love the precious blood of our Lord that was spilled for me. We took communion today at church and I cried as I pondered the precious gift He gave me.
Red … beautiful — yet as you described — it can cause negative emotions too.
Much love to you! Thank you for visiting me!
Beth
I’m so gad I stopped in and didn’t miss your FMF post on red. I really enjoyed this. Beautifully written. Many blessings to you.
Friend, I had to read this twice…just…I’m soaking in it.
“Red overwhelms me; it’s like living in the spotlight with all my glaring imperfections.’ I can’t get that out of my mind since reading it in my email!
I’d like to think I wear red to show my true colors…to allow grace to ooze over my imperfections…but I know better. Maybe I wear it to remind me to bend to the one who didn’t deserve it…
Beautiful, beautiful reds here. I tend to shy away from red too, but you are making me reconsider. Because, oh yes, the red of the blood of the Lamb is so precious.
I’ve not viewed red in the way you’ve described here, my friend. But with your beautiful writing, you paint a very vivid picture of where “red” spills into our lives. I resonate with your “mom of boys” feelings. Our middle son has spilled some red on us and others as he’s so desperate to enter manhood. I just keep lifting all of them back to Christ, asking Him to cover them in his gracious, life-giving blood. I trust that we will both be amazed by what Christ does in our sons’ hearts someday.
Red definitely makes a strong statement, that’s for sure. I have to be in the right mood to wear it. 🙂 But pink–yes, we all fall in love with pink from the time we’re very tiny.
So thankful for seeing red in the blood too!
I rarely wear red as well. Love this theme and splashing me today in color.
I would be delighted to have you share this with our group of moms. Stop by to be encouraged as we have a guest post splashing us all in God’s goodness. And as always, I would be crazy honored to have you link up.
Just moms. Sharing our notes. Creating a melody.
http://justsarahdawn.blogspot.com/2013/09/thank-goodness.html
What a great post!! Our Lord Jesus’ blood that He bought our freedom from the evil one. And the red of the love of our lives as parents that we would also gladly give to our children. So much beauty in red, but also so much suffering!
Blessings XX
Mia
praising Him for redemption …